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THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team travels to Ames, Iowa, for its annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup with Iowa State on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT) from Hilton Coliseum.
WATCH/FOLLOW ALONG
- The contest will be streamed live on Cyclones.tv ($). Links are available on the Iowa women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Live stats are also available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
AUDIO COVERAGE
- Rob Brooks and Jamie Cavey Lang will call the action on the Hawkeye Radio Network. A link to the broadcast is available on the women’s basketball schedule page on hawkeyesports.com.
- Brooks is in his second year as the play-by-play announcer for the Iowa women’s basketball team. He has been Iowa football’s sideline announcer since 2004. He has called seven different Iowa sports on radio or television.
- Lang enters her second year as Iowa’s color commentator. She lettered at Iowa from 2002-05. Lang finished her Hawkeye career with 1,265 points and 506 rebounds. She was a two-time All-Big Ten selection.
IOWA CORN CY-HAWK SERIES
- Iowa State currently leads the 2017-18 Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, 6-5.
- The Hawkeyes have clinched victories in soccer and football, while the Cyclones have won volleyball, and men’s and women’s cross country.
SCOUTING IOWA STATE
- The Cyclones enter Wednesday’s contest with a 3-4 record. Iowa State is 2-0 at Hilton Coliseum this season (South Dakota, UMKC).
- Junior guard Bridget Carleton leads the team, averaging 20.0 points per game. Senior guard Emily Durr is also averaging double figures in points (11.7).
- Carleton is one of 20 players in the nation on the Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List. The award honors the nation’s top small forward. She also earned honorable mention honors on the Big 12 preseason team for the 2017-18 season.
- Freshman center Kristin Scott averages a team-leading 8.1 rebounds per contest.
- Durr leads the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally in 3-point field goal percentage. She is shooting 55.6 percent from behind the arc this season.
- The Cyclones are ranked 16th nationally with 5.8 blocked shots per game.
- Bill Fennelly is in his 23rd year at the helm of the Cyclones. He owns a 468-240 (.661) record at Iowa State.
IOWA/IOWA STATE — THE SERIES
- Iowa leads the all-time series, 25-22.
- The home team has won 15 of the last 16 meetings in the series, including the last 10 contests.
- The Hawkeyes defeated the Cyclones, 88-76, in Carver last season.
- A win on Wednesday would give Iowa its first win in Ames since defeating Iowa State, 75-55, on Dec. 17, 1989-90.
GUSTAFSON EARNS 4TH STRAIGHT CONFERENCE HONOR
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player of the Week on Monday. It is the 10th honor of Gustafson’s career and her fourth in as many weeks.
- Gustafson averaged 26.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, and shot 74.2 percent from the field in a pair of contests last week.
- The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native netted 34 points with nine rebounds, three assists, and two blocks against No. 13/11 Florida State on Nov. 29. She shot 83.0 percent from the field (15-for-18) and matched a career-best with 15 made field goals.
- On Dec. 3, Gustafson registered her eighth double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds against Samford. It marked the 35th double-double of her career. She shot 61.5 percent from the field and added a pair of assists and blocks to lead Iowa to its eighth victory of the season.
- Gustafson has earned four straight conference honors. She was named the Big Ten Player of the Week on Nov. 13 before being named to the Player of the Week Honor Roll on Nov. 20 and Nov. 27.
TOTAL TEAM EFFORT
- Four Hawkeyes are averaging double figures in scoring this season, while seven are averaging seven or more.
- Four Hawkeyes average 5.0 or more rebounds per game, including Megan Gustafson (12.7), Hannah Stewart (5.9), Chase Coley (5.1) and Kathleen Doyle (5.0).
- Nine Hawkeyes have registered 10 or more assists on the season.
- Six Hawkeyes averaged 9.0 or more points in two games last week. Gustafson led the team with 26.0 points followed by Doyle (13.5), Tania Davis (11.0), Stewart (9.5), Chase Coley (9.0) and Alexis Sevillian (9.0).
POST PRODUCTION
- Juniors Megan Gustafson and Hannah Stewart and senior Chase Coley are all ranked among the top-10 in the conference in field goal percentage.
- Gustafson leads the conference, shooting 69.6 from the field this season, while Coley ranks third (60.8) and Stewart is 10th (56.9)
STEWART MAKES AN IMPACT
- Junior Hannah Stewart is averaging 8.4 points and 5.9 rebounds off the bench for the Hawkeyes this season.
- The Minot, North Dakota, native netted a career-high 17 points against Samford on Dec. 3. The junior was 7-for-9 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
- Stewart leads the team in steals, averaging 1.4 per contest.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
- Iowa has defeated three teams — Quinnipiac, Western Kentucky, and Elon — that made the NCAA Tournament last season.
- Seven of Iowa’s nonconference opponents made the 2017 NCAA Tournament, including Quinnipiac, Western Kentucky, Elon, Florida State, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, and Drake.
- The Hawkeyes received 26 votes in the AP Poll and 31 in the Coaches Poll this week.
CLIMBING THE CAREER CHARTS
- Junior Megan Gustafson’s 1,181 career points ranks 26th all-time. She is 12 points from tying Crystal Smith (02-06) for 25th.
- Gustafson has 682 rebounds in her career. She currently ranks 15th all-time and needs nine boards to tie Lisa Becker (83-87) for 14th all-time.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
- Iowa leads the nation in four categories, including assists (225), assists per game (25.0), defensive rebounds per game (34), and personal fouls per game (11.1).
- The Hawkeyes are ranked in the top-10 in 10 categories. They include: field goal percentage (3rd, 52.5), rebounds (4th, 414), assist/turnover ratio (4th, 1.72), free throw percentage (5th, 79.2), blocked shots (6th, 51), and scoring offense (8th, 87.2).
- Junior Megan Gustafson is ranked in the top-16 nationally in nine different categories. She leads the nation in field goals made (87) and double-doubles (8), and ranks second in field goal percentage (69.6), third in total points (201), fourth in rebounds (114), fifth in rebounds per game (12.7), seventh in defensive rebounds per game (8), 15th in points per game (22.3), and 16th in offensive rebounds per game (5).
- Junior Tania Davis (50) and sophomore Makenzie Meyer (49) rank 20th and 23rd, respectively, in assists.
SHARING IS CARING
- Iowa leads the nation in assists (225) and assists per game (25.0), and ranks fourth in assist/turnover ratio (1.72).
- The Hawkeyes have registered 23 assists or more in eight of their nine contests this season.
- Junior Tania Davis ranks 20th nationally with 50 assists on the season. Sophomore Makenzie Meyer ranks 23rd with 49.
- Nine Hawkeyes have registered 10 or more assists on the season.
IOWA SHOOTS LIGHTS OUT AGAINST #13/11 FLORIDA STATE
- Iowa shot 61.0 percent from the field in its 94-93 loss to No. 13/11 Florida State on Nov. 29 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
- The Hawkeyes shot 93.0 percent from the field in the opening quarter and made 15 consecutive baskets over a 9:37 second span in the first and second quarters.
- Junior Megan Gustafson scored 34 points on 15-of-18 field goals with nine rebounds in 37 minutes. Four other Hawkeyes scored in double figures: Tania Davis (14), Alexis Sevillian (14), Kathleen Doyle (13), and Chase Coley (10).
GUSTAFSON NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY WATCH LIST
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Wednesday. The award honors the nation’s top player.
- The list currently features 50 student-athletes. It will be trimmed to 30 on Feb. 12, 2018.
- Nine different conferences are represented on the list. Gustafson is one of eight Big Ten student-athletes included.
- Gustafson was named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List on Nov. 9. She is one-of-20 student-athletes named to the list. The award honors the nation’s top power forward.
COLEY’S TURNAROUND
- After scoring in double figures once last season, senior Chase Coley has scored 10 or more points in four contests this season.
- Coley netted 20 points in Iowa’s win over Northern Illinois on Nov. 15 — her most points since scoring 20 against Michigan on March 3, 2016.
- The Minneapolis native has scored eight or more points six times this season, and registered four or more rebounds on five occasions.
- Coley’s field goal percentage of 60.8 currently ranks third in the Big Ten Conference.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
- Junior Megan Gustafson has 35 double-doubles in her Hawkeye career, including double-doubles in 13 of her last 17 games.
- Last season, Gustafson broke a program record with 18 double doubles on the season.
- Gustafson is one of two players nationally to register eight double-doubles this season.
LOCKED IN AT THE LINE
- Iowa leads the Big Ten and ranks fifth nationally in free throw percentage (79.2).
- The Hawkeyes have shot 80.0 percent or better from the free throw line in seven of their nine contests this season.
- Iowa was a perfect 15-for-15 from the line against Northern Illinois on Nov. 15.
- The Hawkeyes made 17-of-19 (89.5 percent) from the line against Quinnipiac, including 10-of-11 in the fourth quarter.
- Iowa shot 92.0 percent from the line against Western Kentucky. The Hawkeyes were a perfect 8-for-8 in the fourth quarter and overtime period.
SEVILLIAN STEPS IN
- Redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian ranks second on the team, averaging 12.6 points per game.
- Sevillian has scored in double figures in seven of Iowa’s nine contests this season.
- The Goodrich, Michigan, native has netted 3-or-more 3-pointers six times this season.
- Sevillian led the team in scoring with a career-best 21 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range against Elon on Nov. 25 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
IOWA SWEEPS PUERTO RICO CLASSIC
- The Hawkeyes registered three wins in four days to finish the Puerto Rico Classic with a perfect 3-0 mark.
- Three Hawkeyes averaged double figures in scoring throughout the tournament, including junior Megan Gustafson (20.3), redshirt freshman Alexis Sevillian (13.0), and sophomore Makenzie Meyer (10.0).
- Gustafson led the team in rebounding, averaging 12.7 per game, while junior Hannah Stewart chipped in 7.0 per contest.
- Iowa shot an impressive 51.1 percent from the field during the three-game span and 34.7 percent from 3-point range. Iowa averaged 80.3 points per game and 24.7 assists per contest.
THE CENTURY MARK
- For the first time in school history, Iowa scored 100 or more points in back-to-back contests on Nov. 11 and Nov. 15.
- Iowa scored 104 points in an overtime win against Western Kentucky on Nov. 11, before netting 105 against Northern Illinois on Nov. 15.
- Iowa’s scoring average of 97.3 ranks third in the Big Ten Conference and 13th in the nation.
700 CLUB
- Head coach Lisa Bluder collected her 700th victory on Nov. 10 against Quinnipiac.
- Bluder is one-of-10 active Division I head coaches with 700 or more victories and one-of-29 women’s coaches to ever accomplish the feat. Bluder is one of 80 coaches (men or women) to win 700 or more contests.
- Bluder is in her 34th season as a head coach and her 18th at the helm of the Hawkeyes.
- In her 18 seasons in Iowa City, Bluder — Iowa’s all-time winningest coach — has accumulated 351 wins.
- Bluder has collected 10 20-win seasons as a Hawkeye.
HAWKEYE CHALLENGE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Junior Megan Gustafson was named the Hawkeye Challenge Most Valuable Player, while sophomore Kathleen Doyle was named to the all-tournament team.
- Gustafson averaged 25.5 points and 16.0 rebounds and shot 67.7 from the field to take home MVP honors. Doyle averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. She shot 57.9 from the field and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
TANIA DAVIS — THE RETURN
- Junior point guard Tania Davis returned to the Iowa lineup on Nov. 10 after suffering a season-ending knee injury at Michigan on Feb. 5, 2017.
- In 23 games last season, Davis averaged 10.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
- Davis is averaging 10.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and shooting 42.1 percent from 3-point range so far this season.
UP NEXT
Iowa returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, Dec. 9, taking on Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 2 p.m. (CT). Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for youth (18 & younger). UI students are free.